TAYLOR – A homeowner who hoped to brighten the block with a Star Shower Laser Light holiday display instead reported the theft of the decorations.

Police Chief Mary Sclabassi said officers were contacted by a homeowner on an undisclosed street who said four laser lights that he installed were stolen about midnight Dec. 12.

The four stolen lights – valued at $40 each – were planted in the front and side yards and were taken out of the ground by thieves. Laser light displays project images and patterns onto the exterior walls of a house, and are reportedly among the hottest-selling and most-frequently stolen displays this year.

Police said thefts of holiday decorations has become a growing problem as displays increasingly make more use of higher-tech devices than conventional lights.

Laser-light displays also have been a concern to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has reportedly raised issues of homeowners who live near air traffic lanes having inadvertently threatened the safety of a flight when within range of aircraft taking off or approaching a landing.